Expert: Julia Booth - 11/24/2010

Question
QUESTION: My baby dove is whistling but not cooing. Is there a praticular age or stage they must reach before they coo?

ANSWER: Sorry for the delay.

First of all, there are many species of doves and they are not all the same. I will assume you are referring to ring necked doves, as they are the most common domestic breed.

The cooing with which you are probably familiar is something that is done by males, upon reaching sexual maturity, in order to attact a mate.

The female may make a very faint and much less elaborate coo in response to the male. But it would, for all practial purposes, qualify as a coo.

Both male and female doves, on average, reach sexual maturity at around 85 days.


Hope that helps you,

Julia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Oops, sorry! Yes, it is a ringneck dove and thank you much for the advice. I didn't know they whistled. I was waiting for the precious coo, so we'll see what happens. Thank you very much for your input. I appreciate it.

Answer
It's funny actually. The whistling sound does not come from their mouth. It is the effect of air moving through the feathers on their wings, as they are taking off. There are a handful of birds who do this, and we have come up with a scientific explanation for most of them. But the reason why doves produce this sound continues to be a mystery.

I personally find it sad that an animal so low on the food chain is doomed to conspicuousness. Might as well tie a bell around its neck.